Parking Fines in Poland

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Apr 7, 09, 21:39 #1

Dobry Wiedzor,

I brought my british car with me to Poland when I moved here, we'll leave the discussion about whether to convert or sell to another day as what I need to find out about is as per the title of this post, parking fines.

Yesterday i parked my car outside our block of flats, where there are no markings, and was surprised when getting into the car this morning that the local Straż Miejska had went n given me a bloody parking fine for blocking the exit to the car park (which is bs by the way, there is another way out also) anyhoo, back to the point, Should I a) ignore the fine b) pay the fine c) go to the office to look like I intend to pay but use the dumb foreigner on a driving holiday routine? Is there anything they could do if I didnt pay, by which i mean, will they even be able to find any details of a UK registered car which links it to me meaning points could be added to my Uk license???

Any info appreciated

gumishuThreads: 17 Posts: 3,943 Joined: Apr 6, 09 ♂	Apr 7, 09, 22:24 #2
backhander: Is there anything they could do if I didnt pay, by which i mean, will they even be able to find any details of a UK registered car which links it to me meaning points could be added to my Uk license??? I don't believe so. I would ignore in your place but that's me. Also depends on how much is the fine.

niejestemcapitaThreads: 3 Posts: 666 Joined: Jan 3, 09 ♀	Apr 7, 09, 22:26 #3
backhander: Is there anything they could do if I didnt pay, by which i mean, will they even be able to find any details of a UK registered car which links it to me meaning points could be added to my Uk license??? I doubt it but u better just pay up if u want to continue using/parking your car around your area I suppose.

backhanderThreads: 11 Posts: 34 Joined: Nov 9, 08 ♂	Apr 7, 09, 22:51 #4
Thanks folks, the Secritariat at my school reckons the fine will be 30zl as she has had one before. It doesnt say anything on the fine itself, if it is indeed only 30 I suppose its wirth it just to keep em off my back....still, I think it will be fun trying the dumb foreigner act ! :0)

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	Apr 8, 09, 09:45 #5
Either pay the fine and don't bother wasting your time with any act or ignore the fine completely: you can't get points on your UK license and they won't bother trying to find you either. Most of the time they don't even bother finding the Polish registered cars whose drivers don't pay their tickets. Er, um, or so I'm told anyway, obviously I always pay my parking tickets.

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Apr 14, 09, 18:02 #6

Well, in case anyone is interested. I went down to the Straz Miejska in Kato this afternoon, with my parking ticket. I went to the desk and asked if the guy spoke english, "a little" was his reply so I began by asking what was this ticket, he looked at it and said "parking ticket, you must pay 100 zl". So I asked him to explain to me why they had given me the ticket before i would pay, I had no problem paying, but wanted to know the reason first. He couldnt explain it in English, because he didn't know the english word for 'Wyscie' which I believe is 'exit', so he called in the guy who actually gave me the ticket. He arrived, with his son who has been studying english at primary school !, and proceeded to try and explain, he drew some diagrams and I understood why I had the fine, but then i told him that there were no signs saying I should not park there, this had him stumped, and he floundered about for another couple of minutes, before handing my licence back to me and saying, 'ok, finished'. Result ! so I went, fully intending to pay as long as they could explain their reasons to me in English, but as they couldn't do so i got off on a technicality. I would say this is a warning to the police/traffic police here in relation to the euro championships, they really had better learn more english or lose out on many such fines given that a very very small percentage of people travelling here for the finals will speak any polish

Bydgoszczanin	Apr 15, 09, 08:46 #7
so I went, fully intending to pay as long as they could explain their reasons to me in English, but as they couldn't do so i got off on a technicality. And why should this be? Should a Pole living in the UK expect an explanation in Polish as to why he got a parking ticket?

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Edited by: pawian Apr 15, 09, 08:57 #8

Harry:

Most of the time they don't even bother finding the Polish registered cars whose drivers don't pay their tickets.

It could be so many years ago. Today they deduct the fine from your bank account.

backhander:

they really had better learn more english or lose out on many such fines given that a very very small percentage of people travelling here for the finals will speak any polish

Yes, it is a problem. The police have no motivation to learn.

Wroclaw Boy	Apr 15, 09, 12:17 #9
Bydgoszczanin: Should a Pole living in the UK expect an explanation in Polish as to why he got a parking ticket? For years the Polish registration cars in the UK have gotten away with everything. Not any more though.

dnzThreads: 25 Posts: 804 Joined: Dec 2, 07 ♂	Apr 15, 09, 14:01 #10
I've had loads of parking fines in Poland and never bother paying them, obviously I always buy a ticket etc but sometimes especially when dealing with polish organisations you get tied up for longer than expected and come back late only to find a ticket on the windscreen. They can't trace UK registered cars so don't worry to much, Same with speeding fines etc.

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Apr 15, 09, 17:08 #11

Bydgoszczanin:

And why should this be? Should a Pole living in the UK expect an explanation in Polish as to why he got a parking ticket?

In response to your question, my opinion is that yes, they should expect that, it's only fair to at least have a reason given to you before parting with cash to pay the fine. If I were Polish living in the UK I would do exactly the same as I have done here i.e. expect an answer given to me in Polish before paying up

Bydgoszczanin	Apr 15, 09, 22:00 #12
backhander: n response to your question, my opinion is that yes, they should expect that, it's only fair to at least have a reason given to you before parting with cash to pay the fine. If I were Polish living in the UK I would do exactly the same as I have done here i.e. expect an answer given to me in Polish before paying up Well, good luck with that.

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Apr 15, 09, 22:13 #13

pawian:

Today they deduct the fine from your bank account.

As of two months ago they didn't. And seeing as the Polish government don't actually know my personal bank account number, I'd be pretty impressed if they did deduct the fine from it.

Bydgoszczanin:

Well, good luck with that.

Seeing as it is a legal right to be able to challenge a fine and to have the proceedings therefor translated into the EU language of one's choice (at no expense to oneself), luck isn't actually needed.

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Apr 15, 09, 22:41 #14

Harry:

As of two months ago they didn't. And seeing as the Polish government don't actually know my personal bank account number, I'd be pretty impressed if they did deduct the fine from it.

Hmm, I was talking about native Poles` accounts. :):) They are easier to track down. Sth like that happened to me about 7 years ago when I forgot to pay, and they sucked it from my account, I couldn`t withdraw any money for a few days because the account was blocked prior, during and after the operation. Today I always remember to pay. :):)

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Apr 16, 09, 00:30 #15
Harry: Seeing as it is a legal right to be able to challenge a fine and to have the proceedings therefor translated into the EU language of one's choice (at no expense to oneself), luck isn't actually needed. Jesus, imagine the costs to a country like Estonia if they wanted to prosecute Maltese citizens?

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Apr 22, 09, 19:38 #16

Bydgoszczanin:

Well, good luck with that.

Well if it goes anything like in the Netherlands the police have the obligation to call a translator if they are unable to communicate with the person that would be fined. It needs to be clear to anybody that receives a fine what the fine is for, but also they should be explained what their rights are and how they can object to the fine. We have a program here on TV that follow traffic cops and they call in the help of translators quite often.

Arthur

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07 ♂	May 22, 09, 16:49 #17
Isn't there a paragraph somewhere in Polish driving rules that though shall not park exits whether there is a sign or not?

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Apr 2, 10, 11:12 #18

Hello everyone,

talking about parking fines in Poland, here is what I got on my windshield yesterday (April, 1st 2010) in Wroclaw (see attached file).

I usually park my car on the side walk as many people do here (since there is no spot to park it), and I have done so for the last 3 months.

Here are my question:
- Is this a real parking fine/ticket or just a April 1st joke? Notice that the address at the bottom is real.

Some thoughts:
- is this the typical "piece of paper" that one should expect in Poland for parking violations?
- is it normal that there is no signature on the paper?
- is it normal that there is not the amout to be paid?
- is it normal that there is only one copy of the paper (usually in my country there must be a copy for the policeman and one for the driver)
- is it normal that they ask me to show up at the "Komisariat" instead of just paying the fine?

Any comments/inputs are very welcome
BR

Fine or Joke?

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Apr 2, 10, 11:37 #19

I got a fine like this in Lublin a few months ago for parking on the pavement seemingly you need to leave a metre and a half space between your car and the wall so people can pass. It looked the same as yours which is the norm here and yes its normal to go and pay at "Komisariat" When I went I played dumb spoke the worst Polish I could combined with English and a few minutes later they gave my license back asked what I did here in Poland and said there would be no fine. Try it let me know if it works :)

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Apr 2, 10, 12:00 #20

tomera:I usually park my car on the side walk as many people do here (since there is no spot to park it), and I have done so for the last 3 months.

Yea, stop parking on the sidewalk. Do you take a sh*t in the corner if there is a line to get into the bathroom?

You might want to be careful, they like to boot cars in my neighborhood. It's about time they started doing something, it was getting ridiculous there for a while.

delphiandomineThreads: 42 Posts: 9,954 Joined: Nov 25, 08 ♂ [Suspended]	Apr 2, 10, 12:03 #21
tomera:I usually park my car on the side walk as many people do here (since there is no spot to park it), and I have done so for the last 3 months. Is it a legal space to park? If not, then there's no defence. The fact that you can't find a place is neither here nor there.

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Edited by: tomera Apr 2, 10, 12:36 #22

Thanks Morad83 for the piece of info. I will probably do so, even though I find weird they did not leave a proper fine with the amount to be paid. I will let you know.

Thanks convex, I think I got your point.

To Delphiandomine. I am not complaining about the nature of my action: it is illegal, period. I was just wondering if what I got on my windshield was fake or authentic. But I think I got the answer :)

Thanks to all of you. Happy Easter.
know.

dnzThreads: 25 Posts: 804 Joined: Dec 2, 07 ♂	Apr 2, 10, 12:57 #23
If your cars on UK plates and wasn't clamped just ignore it and don't park there again.

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